Continuity of Operations workshops and exercises programs are developed and managed by National Continuity Programs (NCP). These programs range in scope from workshops, tabletop exercises (designed for internal use by the interagency community), to large, functional and full-scale exercises involving numerous federal and non-federal entities.
Continuity of Operations Division's responsibilities includes exercise development, oversight, execution, evaluation, and corrective actions. For more information on any of the workshops or exercises, contact your Regional Continuity Manager.
Exercise Descriptions
Cardinal Accord
Cardinal Accord is a tabletop exercise designed to increase federal department and agency, state, territorial, tribal and local jurisdictional continuity of operations readiness for a regional terrorism event, to mitigate vulnerabilities during a terrorist event, and to identify gaps or weaknesses in organizational continuity plans, policies, and procedures.
Eagle Horizon
Exercise Eagle Horizon (EH) is a full scale, externally evaluated, scenario-based exercise focusing on Federal organizations’ continuity of operations programs in the National Capital Region (NCR).
As part of Eagle Horizon, NCP conducts an assessment of all department and agency continuity capabilities based on Federal Continuity Directive 1 (FCD 1) requirements and the criteria in the Continuity Evaluation Tool (CET), with reports provided to all department and agency secretaries or agency heads and the White House’s Homeland Security Council. Results from the assessment enable department and agencies to identify strengths and areas requiring improvement for their continuity programs.
Liberty Down Sentinel
Liberty Down Sentinel Exercise is a functional multi-agency continuity exercise designed to evaluate the ability of organizations to activate their continuity of operations plans during a natural emergency and to sustain operations for an extended period.
Vigilant Accord (Devolution)
Vigilant Accord is a full-scale devolution exercise. It enables devolution staff to validate and assess devolution plans, procedures, and policies; review and validate devolution communications procedures and capabilities; and test devolution capabilities.
Vigilant Strategy
Vigilant Strategy Exercise is a devolution tabletop exercise designed to provide a forum for federal and non-federal entities to discuss devolution of operations readiness to respond to a catastrophic event in which Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) and Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) are devolved to a designated devolution site.
For more information on these or additional exercises, please contact us.
Workshop Descriptions
Determined Accord (Pandemic Influenza)
Determined Accord is an Interagency Continuity Pandemic Influenza Workshop designed to increase continuity awareness, preparedness, and planning for federal and non-federal entities. This workshop meets the Presidential directed requirements as outlined in the National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza Implementation Plan.
Determined Accord was developed in coordination with the White House Homeland Security Council, Department of Health and Human Services, United States Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, and other federal entities.
Determined Accord is designed to increase federal and non-federal organizations continuity readiness for a pandemic event, mitigate continuity of operations vulnerabilities during an influenza outbreak, and identify gaps or weaknesses in pandemic continuity plans, policies, and procedures.
Mission Essential Functions (MEF) Workshop
The Mission Eseential Functions (MEF) Workshop is to assist Federal, State, Territorial, Local and Tribal levels of government continuity personnel develop Essential Functions to support continuity of essential operations during and following a significant disruption to normal operations and reconstitution.
continuity exercise design workshop
The Continuity Exercise Design Workshop provides continuity exercise design training to continuity professionals at the Federal, State, Territorial, Local, and Tribal levels of government and the private sector.
Guardian Accord (Terrorism-Based Continuity of Operations Workshop)
Guardian Accord is an inter-organizational continuity terrorism workshop designed to increase continuity awareness, preparedness, planning, and coordination between federal and non-federal entities. The workshop is based on multiple forms of terrorism, as found in 12 out of 15 National Planning Scenarios. The Guardian Accord Workshop also supports the requirements of the National Continuity Policy Implementation Plan, as it emphasizes the Federal government’s policy calling for agencies to be prepared for unpredictable threats such as earthquakes, accidents, sabotage and terrorism.
This workshop is a refinement of “all hazards” continuity planning, looking specifically at the unique considerations of sustaining essential functions during a terrorist event. This training and workshop is intended to supplement, not replace, existing organizational security and awareness programs pertaining to continuity.
The purpose of the Resilient Accord Workshop is to increase federal department and agency, state, territorial, tribal, and local jurisdictional continuity of operations awareness and discuss how to execute continuity operations resulting from a cyber security event. Developed by FEMA’s National Continuity Programs, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Cyber Security Division, this workshop discusses continuity planning considerations in response to a cyber disruption.
For more information on these or additional workshops, please contact us.